Edirne Selimiye Mosque

The first place that many people think of when it is called Edirne is probably the Selimiye Mosque. Selimiye Mosque, which is regarded as a symbol for the city, is a work that those who come to the city never forget to visit. This particular mosque is considered to have been commissioned by II. Selim to Mimar Sinan, but there is no clear information about this. The construction process of the Selimiye Mosque, which is regarded as one of the most valuable works of the city of Edirne but also of the Ottoman Empire, began in 1568. II. Selim comes to the city to sign a peace treaty with the Austrians and stays here for a long time. It is known that he has been interested in Edirne since his youth. Due to II.Selim's death, it has to be opened quickly long before planned. The Selimiye Mosque was recently honored by UNESCO by being included in the tentative list of World Heritage sites. In 2011, its 'temporary' status was removed and it was deemed to have entered this list in real terms. Mimar Sinan was 80 or 90 years old when he built the mosque. Therefore, for the Selimiye Mosque, he used the phrase " my masterwork." The mosque, which proudly presents Ottoman art to the world, is regarded as a masterpiece. Today, the property rights of the mosque belong to the Sultan Selim Foundation. The mosque is located in Kavak Square on Yeni Mahalle in Edirne city centre. Yildirim Bayezid also built a palace in the same area in previous years. The most notable part of Selimiye Mosque is its four minarets. These four minarets are easily spotted even from far away. The mosque is largely made of material in cut stone. Selimiye Mosque, which holds the title of being the largest mosque in the period of its construction, is a subject of curiosity and subject of research about how its huge dome was not destroyed when taken into account today’s technological and engineering knowledge. Each detail of the Selimiye Mosque, which covers a huge area of 2,475 square meters and is also an example of urban planning, just like the Suleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul, was constructed with passages from the mastery of Mimar Sinan. The height of the mosque is 43 meters above the ground. The length of the dome is higher than Hagia Sophia.